Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 1999)
TEN - Heppner Gazette-Times. Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, September 29, 1999 Little known spider creates serious problems lone Site Council elects members; hears reports on budget shortfall for Heppner woman Pam Wunderlich A Heppner woman is finally on the mend and glad to be alive after a near deadly encounter with a little-known venomous spider three months ago. In June Wunderlich was camping with her husband at the Primitive Rendezvous. a mountain-man type gathering held this year at her parents' place, the Wilkinson Ranch outside Heppner. when she was bitten. She noticed a dead spider in the tent, but didn't connect it with the itchy bites on her leg and thought she had been bitten by a mosquito. The bites developed into a bulls-eye looking pattern with a blackish looking spot in the middle. Although she already wasn't feeling well, Wunderlich stopped by Murray’s drug store in Heppner and asked Ann Murray, the pharmacist there, if she could • recommend something for the itch. Fortuitously, Murray immediately recognized the bites as those of a hobo spider. She w as all too aware of the possible consequences o f a hobo bite because a friend o f hers in Portland had died from the complications of such a bite. Murray advised Wunderlich to see a doctor as soon as possible. Wunderlich called the doctor's office, but had an hour before her scheduled appointment, so she used the time to research the hobo spider. What she found was frightening. Research by foremost spider expert Darw in Vest of Eagle Rock Research in Idaho Falls showed that the hobo has become the leading cause of "envenomation" in the northwestern U.S. Symptoms range from mild to serious illness, and, more rarely, death. The severity of illness depends on whether the spider was a male or female, adult or juvenile, whether the bite was located on the body, how many bites there were and how much poison was in a bite. Many physicians, however, are not familiar with the spider and are not sure how to treat patients who are bitten. As a result of the bites, Wunderlich developed a severe migraine headache which lasted a week, a fever that went up to 104 degrees, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, dehydration and itching, pain and swelling around the bite. She was seriously ill for 10 days and said that at times she felt like she "wasn't going to make it." Over the course of the illness, Wunderlich became severely dehydrated and. on two occasions, was taken to the PMH emergency room. Other symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, temporarv memory loss, vision impairment and necrotic lesions (death of tissue). According to Wunderlich, because a treatment regimen for hobo bites is almost non-existent, she was treated for the bite of a brown recluse, which does not exist in the Pacific Northwest. Her doctor prescribed steroids, however, which are recommended for both. Unfortunately, however, the steroids suppressed Wunderlich's immune system and she contracted mononucleosis, which further exacerbated her illness. Wunderlich says that Wendy Haack, nurse practitioner at Pioneer Memorial Clinic, was very helpful in helping research the hobo spider on the Internet and through the Center for Disease Control. According to Wunderlich's research, the hobo spider, so named by Vest because it "hitched a ride" to the U.S. from Europe by ship, can hitch rides on objects and motor vehicles. It rarely climbs vertical surfaces and is usually found only on the ground floor and moist, dark areas, such as basements, underwood piles, lawn ornaments, etc. The spider can, however, get inside or upstairs on firewood, clothing and bed clothes. The hobo is blind, but extremely fast, moving up to two miles an hour. The male of the species is more venomous than the female and is especially excitable and dangerous when looking for a mate around this time of the year. Juvenile spiders are even more dangerous. Although it is not normally especially aggressive, the hobo will bite when cornered or threatened. In Wunderlich's case, a hobo spider was in her boot and Wunderlich was bitten three times- the first bite was not venomous, but the second and third were progressively more poisonous. The hobo is a cousin to the giant house spider, but the two types can be differentiated by the striated markings on the hobo spider's legs. The house spider's legs are a solid color. Both the house spider and the hobo build funnel-shaped webs. The hobo spider has been definitely identified in the Heppner area. Darcy Coil was bitten around the end of July or the first of August somewhere at her home on Gilmore Street in Heppner. She said she was ill with flu-like symptoms for around 10 days. She went to Pioneer Memorial Clinic where she was diagnosed with a hobo bite by Dr. Suzanne Krippaehne. A spider discovered in the sink at the home of Skip and Sandy Matthews on Rock Street was positively identified as a Anne Murray recognized bite as that of Hobo spider hobo. Since the spider is in the area. Wunderlich advises people to take some simple precautions to avoid a potentially dangerous bite—when camping, use tents with flooring; wear gloves when bringing in firewood; tamp firewood off before bringing it in the house; use gloves when moving outdoor items, such as wood, lawn ornaments or railroad ties; caulk cracks and weather-strip under doors at ground level where spiders might enter; when working in enclosed areas, wear pants tucked into boots and long sleeves tucked into gloves; shake sleeping bags and clothing that has been outside; and shake out shoes and boots before putting them on; vacuum floors and comers of the house often; keep bedclothes off the floor; and place beds up off the floor and at least eight inches away from the wall-. Wunderlich says that now is not the time to spray for spiders, because the spray will also kill beneficial spiders, such as the house spider which preys on the hobo. Instead, spring-time spraying is preferred. Other predators of the hobo include cats and praying mantises. Anyone who suspects that he or she has been bitten by a hobo spider, should try to preserve the specimen for identification, placing it in a zip-lock bag. Wunderlich says that tentative ID may be made at the clinic; or people may take the spider to the Morrow County Extension Office. Positive ID is suggested with a qualified arachnid specialist. Kathryn Kettel, Morrow County Extension agent, says she hopes people won't panic and reminds the public that the hobo spider is "not that common in the house." "Spiders are afraid of people," says Kettel. She also stresses that the house spider is not poisonous and 50 percent of hobo spider bites are not poisonous. "If you have the giant house spider," says Kettel, "you probably don't have the hobo because the house spiders prey on the hobo spiders." She adds that the recent frost will eliminate many of the spiders and vacuuming will kill them, because "spiders are very fragile." Money management classes offered A three-part "Successful Money Management" class will be offered on three consecutive Wednesdays beginning October 13 from 6-9 p.m. at the Morrow County School District Office in Lexington. Following that class a separate class, especially designed for women investors, is scheduled for Wednesday, November 3, at the same location. Successful Money Management is designed for the beginning investor or one who needs a better handle on their investments. The class covers the "nuts and bolts" of investing, such as risk levels, what to look for in investments and tracking investments using quarterly statements or the Wall Street Journal. The class provides easy to understand information that will help the unsure investor. For more information or to register for the class, contact Anne Morter. BMCC coordinator for south Morrow County at 422- 7040. W hy H a ve n ’t You Called Yet? 1 - 800 - 944-0415 Brand New, High Quality Computers. Arlynda Gates was re-elected to one of the parent positions and Debbie Radie was newly elected to another position on the lone Site Council at their first meeting of the school year on Sept 15 Darlene M arquardt and Barb Peterson are new representatives from the s ta f f and Cathy Halvorsen is the new classified representative Officers for the 1999-2000 school y ear were elected Arly nda Gates will serve as chairperson. Darlene Marquardt as secretary and Anne Morter as reporter Dick Allen sta rte d his principal s report w ith information on the projected budget shortfall of approximately $1 million for next school year He noted that lone spends more per student than it receives, according to calcula tions done at the district office With the looming shortfall, it is likely that cutbacks will have to occur Also, he reported that there is some inequity around the dis trict in terms of class size He said that the ad m in istrato rs were scheduled to work out some solu tions that would not entail increas ing the budget Allen handed out a draft of the lone beats Echo in two The lone Lady Cardinals traveled to Echo to spar with the Cougar volleyball team September 23. The Lady Cardinals defeated Echo in two games, 15-3, 15-11. lone came out at the beginning of the match totally dominating the Cougars. Charissa Gates served a total o f 11 points, followed by Diana McElligott with five scoring serves. Great setting by Erin Crowell and Charissa Gates made it easy for the hitters to dominate at the net. Nikki McElligott came out hitting hard by nailing eight spikes, five kills and handing the Cougars three dumps. Camie Burright also hammered five spikes and a kill to bring down the opponent. The JV team had a little more trouble putting their opponent away, but managed to squeak by, winning in two games. 15-11, 15- School Improvement Plan that was started last spring and covered some of the vital areas He noted that while the lone plan had math improvement as a goal, reading is now the primary goal of the en tire district The council decided to address next month whether they should have both areas as goals and how that might be imple mented Allen also mentioned that the State Education Department will be issuing a school report card for Child care classes scheduled Child Care Resource & Referral has planned to offer the following classes in the Morrow/Umatilla area: Family Child Care Overview: October 4, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Pendleton area. This class is required by the Child Care Division for anyone wishing to become a registered family child care provider and will include information on recently passed regulations. Those who are currently doing family child care in your home who not registered with the Child Care Division or those who would like more information on this topic, may call Starla Halverson at Child Care Resource & Referral. First By Five: Module I: Social Emotional Growth and Socialization (0-3 year olds): is set for October 5, 12, 19 and 26 from 6:30-9:00 p.m. in the Pendleton area. In this module, participants will explore the different temperaments of infants and toddlers, creating nurturing relationships with infants and toddlers and addressing appropriate ways to set limits for infants and toddlers and guide the development of their social skills. This training is appropriate for anyone providing child care in a home or a center, as well as for parents. Pre registration with CCR&R is required. Oregon Child Care Basics I: Safety and Health: October 18-19, from 6:30-8:30 pm, in the Irrigon area. This training covers information on illness and injury prevention, immunizations, nutrition, safe food handling and responding to medical emergencies. The training is appropriate for anyone providing child care in a home or a center, as well as for parents and will qualify family child care providers to apply for a waiver. There is a $5 registration fee and pre-registration is required. For more information or to register for any of these class, call Child Care Resource & Referral at 278-7007 or, outside Pendleton, 1- 800-559-5878. Free softball clinic planned A free softball clinic for girls eight to 12 years old will get underway starting Monday, October 4, in Heppner. The clinic will be held on Mondays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-noon at the old beef bam at the Morrow County Fairgrounds. Those wishing to sign up should call 676-5270 or 676-9935. The clinic, for both beginners and advanced, is held through the Heppner Little League. N O W ACCEPTING a p p lic a tio n s fo r Country Rose Floral Department Floral experience preferred, but not required Need to be flexible, creative; teamwork a must Applications accepted through October 6, 1999 12 . Ashley Carmack led the JV team with six points assisted by Kristen Davidson and Caitlin Orem, both, with six points. Jennifer Thompson also served well, launching two aced serves in the second game. Nonnee Walters did an excellent job in the back row, getting the ball to the setter. each school, rating each on stu dent performance, staff charac teristics and discipline referrals Anne Morter brought up the idea of looking into the possibility o f applying for tippage fee money (from the county ) for upkeep on the swimming pool She will fol low up w ith the Adv isory Board The next meeting o f the site council will be Wednesday, Oct 13, at 5 p.m at lone High School The public in invited to attend and participate For questions, contact John or Ann Murray ^ Muway'i J 1 7 N orth M ain H e p p n er 676 -9 1 5 8 S JLJLJE 55 gallon drum Sale good through Oct. 16th Superlube 518 T o p q u a lity p rotection fo r g a s o lin e and d ie s e l en g in e s Superlube XL H ig h e s t q u ality e x tra life d ie s e l e n g in e lubricant Prices plus drum deposit 15W-40 SAE 30 $219s5 $209“ 15W-40 SAE 30 $23795 $224“ Qwiklift Universal Fluid P re m iu m m ulti-fu nctional fluid fo r tra c to rs w ith a cen tral lubricating system $21595 G lide-A -M atic D e x ro n III, M e rc o a u to m a tic tran sm issio n fluid $22295 : • •:^ S' " :T Painful hobo spider bitas on Pam Wunderlich'* leg display bull'* *y* pattem. 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